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Peru quake causes structural damage to schools, houses

27 September 2013 01:45 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Peru's Minister of Women's Affairs, Ana Jara, said Thursday 58 schools and about 100 houses sustained structural damage from Wednesday's 6.9-magnitude earthquake that hit the southern department of Arequipa, APA reports.

Jara said the schools located in rural areas of Caraveli province suffered different degrees of damage, forcing the education ministry to suspend classes.

Due to the damage, the Education Ministry was considering extending the suspension of classes to protect students from structural collapse, possible aftershocks or other quake-related incidents, she said.

The minister, who traveled to Caraveli to assess the damage, said several districts also lacked water service since the quake damaged water supply and drainage network.

Some 100 houses, mainly rural structures, were damaged or destroyed in Arequipa, located 1,030 km south of the capital Lima, she added.

The Peruvian Institute of Geophysics said Wednesday the earthquake was also felt in other regions of southern Peru, including Ayacucho, Cusco, Puno, Ica and Lima.

On Wednesday, the National Institute of Civil Defense in Arequipa said the report that three people working in a mine were killed in the quake was not officially confirmed. The number of people injured by the quake remains at 15.

Peru's President Ollanta Humala, who is currently in New York attending the United Nations General Assembly, announced he would cut short his trip and fly over the areas affected by the earthquake.